Hydrogeophysics in fractured crystalline aquifers in english Guyana

Abstract

This work is a case study in Guyana with the goal of finding groundwater in rock layers with fracture-controlled porosity using electrical resistivity imaging. This work was carried out in two phases by the Brazilian Army, in eight communities in the region of Alto Tacutu – Alto Essequibo in southeast Guyana. All work was done in accordance with a technical agreement between Brazil and Guyana. In the first phase, the surveys were completed by the team which collected resistivity data using a SuperSting R8 electrical resistivity meter with dipole-dipole and dipole-gradient arrays. Then the software EarthImager was used to analyze the data and create two-dimensional (2D) pseudo-sections with depths up to 70m. In the second phase, eight wells were drilled in areas of low resistivity. The geology of this region consists of Precambrian granite rock layers with varying levels of fracturing. In this way, the effectiveness of the multielectrode resistivity imaging technique was demonstrated as a way to explore the availability of groundwater in crystalline rock formations with fracture-controlled porosity.